NEWS

Marin Medicine is on the press!

Watch
your mail later in November for Marin Medicine. The fall/winter issue focuses
on emergency medicine and features a special section with hospital reports
on emergency care in Marin. Other theme articles include the ER, patient education
and Kaiser's telestroke program.

Departments cover a wide range of topics ranging from gun violence and public
health to the fall House of Delegates. A Resources Spotlight offers tools and resources
for solo and small group practices, and a photo spread from the MMS Awards Dinner
rounds out the issue.

Longtime executive director leaving MMS

Cynthia Melody, who celebrated 25 years with the Sonoma County Medical Association
in October, has announced her departure effective Dec. 31, 2016. Initially recruited
to manage SCMA committees, programs and projects, Melody has served as executive
director since 2000. She's also served as executive director for the Marin
Medical Society since 2007 and the Mendocino-Lake County Medical Society
since 2010. The three boards of directors have several meetings planned to look
at current organizational structures and consider options for 2017 and beyond.
Click here to view Melody's departure letter.

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Marin General receives Stroke Care Excellence Award

Marin General Hospital announced it has received the prestigious
2017 Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for the fourth consecutive year (2014-17) from
Healthgrades, placing it among the top 10% of hospitals in the country for stroke
care.

CMA House of Delegates

More than 500 California physicians, representing 43,000 physicians statewide,
convened in Sacramento last month for the 145th Annual Session of the CMA House
of Delegates. The HOD meets annually to establish broad policy on current major
issues affecting members, the association and the practice of medicine. This year's
major issues were MACRA, maintenance of certification, opioids, physician burnout,
ACA changes and public health. For more information on this years' HOD, visit
www.cmanet.org/hod and view
photos at www.facebook.com/cmaphysicians.

PRACTICE RESOURCES & CME

Nondiscrimination statement posting
Physicians who provide services
to Medicare or Medi-Cal patients must comply with new nondiscrimination posting
requirements effective Oct. 16. To answer questions regarding compliance, CMA has
created an
FAQ resource to help guide members.

New update on HIPPA and cloud computing
The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently released an updated
"Guidance
on HIPPA and Cloud Computing" for the storage or transmission of electronic
personal health information (ePHI). If using a cloud service provider to maintain
ePHI, a HIPAA-compliant business associate agreement is required to avoid a HIPAA
violation. For more information, see CMA OnCall document #3301 "Physician
Use of Mobile Devices and Cloud Computing." On-Call documents are available
free to CMA members.

CMA Practice Management Tip of the Month: November
To
protect patient privacy, develop a written policy on camera and smartphone use in
the office. See
monthly tip sheet for details and reminders to practice managers and physicians
about CMA benefits and services.

I am 100% committed to assisting the new owner with all the support necessary
to ensure a smooth transition. Please contact me for more information or to schedule
a visit. Gail Altschuler, MD, 415-309-6258 or
drgail@marinweightloss.com.

Free classifieds for MMS members!
MMS members can place FREE
classified ads in News Briefs or Marin Medicine. Cost for nonmember physicians
and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad, contact Susan Gumucio
at susan@scma.org or 707-525-0102.